


To the Letter

by BentoBunni



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon), Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Multi, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-15
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-06 21:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5430827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BentoBunni/pseuds/BentoBunni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things change, summer ends, and Dipper and Mabel have reached the profound Age of Upheaval; adolescence. Points are growing, feathers are molting, and their letters have been written. The letter that will decide it all; where they will go, what they'll learn, and most importantly; who they'll meet. The Mystery Twins are striving to understand their perfect Counterparts; to learn about each other, so that one day they may come to understand themselves.</p><p>I'm new to the fanfiction writing world so bear with me on the tags. You can check above for the basics, but this is essentially an AU Fantasy that combines the worlds of the characters into one made-up place. This story contains magic, alpha/omega dynamics, predator/prey traits, highschool-ish themes, underage (so-to-speak) misconduct, "soulmates", and more. Also its got some Monster Falls -ish elements in that everyone is a creature or anthro in some respect. So without spoiling any further I hope those who read this enjoy <3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Blood

A pained look etched into his features, the young faun’s large brown eyes remained transfixed to the swirling patterns in the hardwood floor. Around him, some thirty other jittery students sat, half-listening to the bipedal feline at the head of the room. Self-conscious at how his dainty hooves clacked harshly against the creaking old boards, Dipper avoided the gaze of every creature he passed, making his way to the desk awaiting him as if it were the headsman’s block. 

In one clumsy, fumbling motion, the teen at last clamored into his designated space, tripping as he made the transition from floor to seat, anxiety spiking as a sour feeling settled in his stomach. The room spun as Dipper tried his best to focus, a squelching from inside signaling the first threat of dry heaves. Reaching quickly for his backpack, Dipper forced himself to focus on the instructor as the sweet bite of a winter mint leaf touched his tongue. The early morning walk around the shack may have made him late, but it seemed to pay off.

“I know many of you are… _uncertain_ … of what the future holds for you once you write this letter. Do not be afraid, this is in no way the end of life as you know it,”

He winced.

“Meeting your counterpart is only the first step to becoming whole, a compass to set you on the path of fulfilling your purpose. Remember, there is no wrong way to respond to to the question posed; you are free to write whatever you wish.”

With a single flick of the gray cat’s wrist, sparks of light filled the room, a single small scroll appearing atop each desk in a flash of green light. Though his eyes sparkled in awe at the small display of magic from the instructor, Dipper’s stomach still roiled at the sight of the parchment before him. With a shudder, he began muttering small prayers that the mint would do its job and he wouldn’t lose his breakfast all over the test.

_An answer that would be._

“You may prick your fingers and begin.”

For a moment there was rustling of bags and shuffling of materials as students reached for their white quills. Hesitantly, Dipper joined in the activity, adding his own hiss of displeasure to the noise filling the room as he pricked his finger with the instrument, watching as the feather soaked in his drop of blood, turning a vibrant crimson.

This was real.

Moments passed like lifetimes. Dipper’s small heart beat like a hummingbird trapped behind his ribs. Everything around seemed to still, but the faint scratching of the quill tips was strangely deafening. His trembling hand reached out to the scroll, preparing to shift it, but in an instant the object moved of its own accord, poised as if it had a mind to wait for him. In search of distraction his eyes wandered around the room, surprised to find nearly everyone writing. A flicker of hope dared to spark in his chest that perhaps this wouldn’t be as terrifying as it seemed. Without thinking he readied himself to write his name in the top right corner of the page, only to find black lettering swirling across what in any other scenario would have been blank space. 

_What do you seek?_

A tremor in his hand sent a pearl of red falling to the parchment. 

Right away there were at least a million ways in which he alone could answer that question, but in that instant his mind blanked. Inside his vest was a list of plans he’d made, goals he’d laid awake at night setting for what he would do in the coming months when his life really began. The spells he hoped to learn, the subjects he wanted to research, the mysteries he planned to solve. None of which in this moment seemed significant enough to write about… Nothing he wanted to explain… To share… With a stranger.

_'I don’t know what to say honestly. I’ve been up all night for weeks fighting with this question. A question you already have the answer to and I’m just… stuck, squirming in my chair struggling to find an answer that doesn’t sound ridiculous! You know who I am. You know who I’ll be. All I really know is that in a few weeks summer will end and whatever I put on this paper is going to determine how the rest of my life turns out. Who I’m going to be with… who I’m going to be. I don’t think I even know a word strong enough to describe the pressure I’m feeling right now. I’m sitting in a room full people I’ve known my whole life, but I’ve never felt more alone. I’m not sure how my counterpart is supposed to even fix any of that.'_

_'I’m not sure that person even exists, and honestly… I’m not sure I care.'_

_'I want answers. I want to know what’s calling me to write this letter. I want to know where this path I’m on leads. What I’m meant to do. How to seek the answers the right way. I want all of this to start making sense… to see the big picture. I want to understand why my life is so important that you’ve already arranged it. I want to meet the person up there moving the pieces. I’ve got like-- a million questions about everything right now and I just...'_

_'I want to know you.'_

…

“Dipper!”

Ears flicking instinctively toward the sound, the faun looked up from his own hooves for the first time since the day started, as an all-too familiar face crashed into his own. The impact caught him off-guard, earning a pitchy shriek from the faun as papers from his backpack scattered the hall. Staring up at his twin, Dipper was unsure if the stars in his eyes were from his surefire concussion or her fetish for glitter.

“You really can’t go any slower than a full-blown gallop?”

“Sorry Bro-Bro but that’s the power of Mabel! I just wrote the perfect letter and in two weeks I’m finally gonna have the ULTIMATE-VAMPIRE-BOYFRIEND!”

Going no less than ninety-smiles an hour, Mabel sat on her brother’s chest squealing with excitement. Dipper squirmed, more so from the lack of air than the gazes of irritated students leaving the building. Somewhere beyond his field of vision, the faun could hear a door open and the static of a teacher shushing the noise still echoing down the hallway.

“You must be very proud,” Dipper deadpanned as he reached for his hat.

“Darn right I’m proud,” Mabel huffed, slipping off her brother before extending a hand to pull him up.“Come on Dip, you’re telling me you aren’t the least bit excited to meet your-dream date?” She retorted, letting her wings beat up a breeze just soft enough to dust the pair off as she adjusted the sleeves of her pink sweater.

“Mabel this isn’t a personals ad, it's a letter written in blood that’s going to change our entire lives--!” His voice cracked as caught himself just on the cusp of yelling in frustration. Kneeling he quickly began gathering his stray writing materials, unsure of why he’d even brought them along. “What did you put in yours anyway?”

“Only how adorable I am and how dreamy this is going to be. Plus, you know, stickers and glitter.”

Dipper’s eye twitched. “I’m not sure I even want to know who’s supposed to be into that.”

“Say whatever you want Dipping sauce even you can’t ruin this for me. Anyways let’s head outside, I already called Grunkle Stan, he should be here by now.” Without a second the teen pegasus spun nimbly on her hooves and started skipping for the door. Trotting after her, he couldn’t help but smile at her carefree attitude. Though the sensible side of him knew Mabel wasn’t taking the whole thing nearly as seriously as she should, her optimism was infectious, anything that would take his mind off of his own letter was a welcome distraction. 

The obscenely tall sequoia door of the Hall was already ajar, and Dipper squeezed out just in time to catch his sister cheering. Mabel hopped down the stairs, arms waving wildly, feathers shedding in the breeze as she did her best to grab their Grunkle’s attention. Stan, way over the speed-limit raced down the road, sideswiping three parked cars as he passed them.

“We really have to stop letting him drive.”

“YEAH! Go Grunkle Stan! Wha-- Wait! No! COME BACK!! Grunkle STAN! _OHMYGODISWADDLESINTHECARWITHYOU??”_

The red classic spun out at the end of the street, but the squealing of the tires as the car whipped back down the dirt road wasn’t enough to cover the string of expletives coming from their great uncle. As they reached the last step the car came to a sudden stop, its driver bailing out of the driver’s seat.

“Hoof it you two! My sunglasses are missing and I’ve already taken out a mailbox and two police cars! Pretty sure I turned two pedestrians who looked through the windshield to stone, but I’m not claiming it. Mabel sweetie take the wheel and whatever you do don’t go down Maple Drive!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so concludes the first chapter of this spiral into madness! To anyone who reads a big thank you! I apologize if the ending was abrupt, but I felt this may be getting a tad long so I cut this chapter short. I've proofread this some thirty odd times now but if for some reason there are spelling errors so sorry! As far as general grammar is concerned I tend to write things the way I want them to be read, so there may be some excessive commas and crap.
> 
> For those who aren't clear on what's been established;
> 
> Dipper and Mabel are thirteen. In this... scenario, to be thirteen (or the species equivalent) essentially makes you an adult in most respects. More will be revealed about that as things continue.
> 
> Dipper is a Faun. Not a Fawn, not a Cervitaur. If you aren't familiar with what that is, its essentially a bipedal combination of man upper half and deer (or other creature) legs, tail, ears and in some cases horns. He still wears clothes, including his shorts, but no shoes which is obvious.
> 
> Mabel is a Pegasus. Not a Cervitaur. Similar description as above; bipedal, tail, ears and in her case wings. However, she does not have a split hoof. That will become more relevant later.
> 
> Grunkle Stan's is a Gargoyle, pretty much the same as Monster Falls because YES!
> 
> So far we are in Gravity Falls, this will change shortly.
> 
> P.S: For anyone who dares to read this whole thing through (which will likely be some 50+ chapters if you see suggestions for additional tags PLEASE SPEAK UP <3


	2. Bittersweet

Dipper’s pitchy puberty screaming as he clung to the back seat; Grunkle Stan’s spewing of ‘child friendly’ swears as his head hit the roof of the car; Waddles squealing with his head out the rear left window; these were the things she’d miss the most. Despite the developing cramp in her pastern Mabel was beyond thrilled as the red and blue lights faded into the distance. The energy in the air had her beaming, and just before the dust kicked up on the gravel road to the shack Mabel stuck her head out the window, pink tongue poked out for the cops. One last chase with Blubs and Durland was just what the Pines family needed; the perfect start for their send off to summer.

Closing in on the shack the young Pegasus at last took her hoof off the gas, giving it a quick shake to ease the tension before stomping sharply on the brake. Six weeks of summer and she could outdrive the law with the best of them, but the finer points of stopping were still lost on her. The Stanmobile jerked to a halt; Grunkle Stan did not, yelling something about sweet skittles before going through the windshield. “Ooooh yikes….” Ears pinned she unbuckled her seat-belt and peered over the dash, relieved to find him standing immediately with no injuries. 

“Dipper, when you’re done with your heart attack be sure to pick up all this glass.” The Gargoyle brushed himself off, picking shimmering shards from his fez as his tattered wings began to spread open. “I’m going to the basement, hide the car and if the cops come you last saw me tuck and roll into the woods. No warrant, no search!”

In a gust of wind their Grunkle was gone, leaving in a flurry of dust, feathers, leaves and twinkling shards that quickly sent Mabel into a coughing fit. Through the haze she could see him; a slate colored storm against the bright afternoon sky, no doubt soaring up to the special hatch on the roof, and for the first time all day her smile faltered. Despite the noise Dipper falling face first out of the car door with a thud caught her ear, but her eyes remained on the sky. “I’m not even going to ask why it is that your driving flings him out the window and yet I’m the one that’s got to clean up this mess… Mabel?”

A warm hand on her shoulder coaxed her gaze away from empty air and onto the Faun. “Don’t worry about it okay? You’ll be flying before you know it.” Dipper smiled, the light in his eyes shy yet still encouraging. She pinned her ears with a soft sigh, “It's not the flying itself, I just… I wanted him to _teach me._ It was my big goal this summer; seeing the shack from the sky one last time before we left…” Rubbing her arm she raised her sleeve, finger slipping beneath the hem for an instant before producing a folded slip of paper which she opened to reveal a _list._ Some thirty tasks and ideas were scrawled in a rainbow of gel pen colors, but it was the one on top in red that caught the tear slipping from her cheek. “There’s no way I’ll have my flight feathers in time.”

“C’mon Mabel, we’ve still got a week. There’s still plenty of time for you to make all the memories you want. Starting tonight, remember the… Summer Sendoff Slumber Party?”

One mention of the party and the light in her eyes flickered to life, “Oh yeah, that’s right! Candy and Grenda are gonna be here for the whole weekend.” Just the mention of that was enough to make Dipper cringe, a gesture Mabel could feel as his hand reflexively tightened on her shoulder. “Fear not Bro-Bro, tonight may be girls night, but twin time is all the time. Let's do it up!”

With the shack closed early for their special weekend and the Stans held up in the basement, the mystery twins enjoyed a rare treat; total control of the shack. It started with hiding the Stanmobile; which afforded just the right kind of excuse for Dipper to slip into Ford’s lab and with a rushed explanation “borrow” a pair of paintball guns that used a powerful camouflage dye, hiding the car quickly dissolving into a two hour game of making each other disappear. The game ended when a well placed shot made the faun’s firing arm vanish, making aim an impossibility. After returning the guns to Ford the twins learned that a dip in Salt Creek would take care of the dye. It would have been a short trip if Dipper hadn’t discovered an inland reef and spent half the day collecting samples to the tune of his sister trying to reenact under the sea.

The sun began to creep beyond the treeline just as Dipper managed to clean up the last of the glass. A scraping knock came at the door, and Mabel was immediately subdued by Durland, who was surprisingly strong despite his gamma status. Blubs charged in after, literally barking orders on his megaphone and intent on arresting both her and Stan; illegal use of magic, speeding, false ID, extreme rudeness, evasion, violation of house arrest and glitter bombing just a few of the charges. The noise was enough to draw the Gargoyle out from his basement cavern, and unhappy with the treatment of his great niece, sheriff and deputy were promptly made concrete centerpieces in the gift shop, their posing... less than respectful. 

“They look good, but I think we can do better… oooh you know what? I’m totally giving them makeovers with the girls when they get here. Did I pack my bedazzling kit already?” Mabel turned from their handiwork to Dipper, who stared blankly at the register. Her voice deadpanned immediately, _“Seriously Dipper?”_ His attention snapped to her at once, and his scarlet cheeks made her eyes roll. “Bro you’ve had three summers to get over this Wendy thing, come on!”

Dipper stamped a hoof at once, “I’m over Wendy, okay? She’s got her Counterpart. And it's not me. And I’m good. It's all good.” The cracking in his voice could have been remixed. “It's just… weird. Her not being here.”

Mabel rolled her eyes, a look somewhere between smug and disapproving on her face. “I’ll give you the fact that her not being at the register is kinda… strange. But you’re not fooling me Dip. You’re redder than your shirt. But you’ve got to let this go, we’re not kids anymore; even if things… had…” She snickered and choked on her laughter, even as Dipper glared. “Even if things had gone somewhere, it couldn’t have lasted. It's not meant to be-!!”

A pair of red furred arms wrapped around Mabel and before she knew it she was hauled clean off her hooves, struggling for only an instant until the scent of wild berries and aftershave caught her nose; “Grenda!” The Pegasus struggled for a moment until the vice like grip holding her became a warm embrace, and with a quick twist Mabel turned to face her Werebear best friend.

The Pegasus grinned as she heard Dipper jump, and looked behind to see a soft black tail tickling his chin as Candy came toward her arms open. “Mabel, you wrote your letter today right? Have you been contacted yet?” Reaching a hand out to the Kumiho the brunette brought her into Grenda’s bear-hug, the warmth between her two friends lulling her into a dreamlike calm. Doing her best she focused on their scent, their feel, and wrapped it up in her memory of her last child summer. 

Dipper and Mabel opened their mouths to answer of one accord, only to be interrupted abruptly when in a burst of light Great Uncle Ford appeared, and in a sudden crash came Grunkle Stan through the wall.

“Yes, in fact you two have.” Ford’s voice was even, holding a hint of excitement as he took a step toward Dipper, in his hand an unassuming silver scroll, bound by a blue light. She watched as her brother took two tentative steps forward, the floorboards of the gift shop squeaking softly even under his small weight. As if it might have bitten him, Dipper took the scroll with wide eyes, nodding to Ford, who returned the gesture with a small smile. Turning away from their moment, she noticed a matching scroll was clutched in the claws of Grunkle Stan, who reluctantly approached her. Mabel smiled, reaching for the scroll just as she was pulled into a second embrace, her Grunkle dropping to his knees as he cradled her. Feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes for the second time that day, the young girl softly pulled away, braces flashing in a wide smile as she tentatively took the scroll away from a hand hesitant to release it.

In the hands of those who were meant to receive them the scrolls unraveled of their own accord, and clasping their free hands, the twins read as one.

_’Mabel Pines,_

_Congratulations; you have at last come of age. The completion of your Letter is a powerful thing, and the first step to becoming a whole being. However, this is only the beginning. You are to report to the Anima Saltus Institute, no later than August 02, to continue your journey.’_

_’Your Counterpart awaits your arrival.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again dear readers! This took a tad longer than expected, mostly because this chapter underwent a reconstruct when I decided that MULTIPLE POV's was going to be a thing. Fair warning, I absolutely will not be doing a POV rotation for each chapter because that's not conducive to the story I'm telling here, the primary pairing for this story is Bill and Dipper. However I'll be showing all of our couples major love, so every few chapters when the situation calls for it we'll spend some time in the heads of everyone who's in one of the major pairs =) 
> 
> For those who are extremely impatient and want to know when they'll actually be going to school; I'm getting there. Trust that I'm super excited to really start telling the story, but the first few chapters will be laying the groundwork for the twins and doing some very simple world-building, so if you're willing to stick with me I'll do my best not to bore you to death. But I'll throw a bone and let you all know that I estimate the story kicking off (which means the other fandoms will be introduced) at around chapter 4 or 5.
> 
> Things to note for this chapter (just in case you missed it):
> 
> \- Mabel's POV  
> \- Grenda is a Werebear. Envision that as you like.  
> \- Candy is a Kumiho, if you don't know what that is, I encourage you to look it up =)
> 
> See you next chapter!


	3. Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning, for those who don't pay attention or watch my dumb tags, a thirteen year old is considered an adult. Old enough to be engaged (because what the hell else would you call this setup), live on their own, make their own choices. Now, I certainly don't condone RL 13 year olds doing anything illegal or ill-advised, but you'll likely be seeing a lot of that sort of thing in this fic. If you'd like to explain why... I can try, just leave me a comment. If that bothers you, I advise not to read further. Consider this the only formal warning I will be placing in this fic for underage misconduct that's non-sexual, its tagged, its in the rating, you've been warned.

Curled atop the red cushions of the window seat, Dipper wrestled with his anxiety. Bathed in the dull crimson light of the full moon filtering through the stained glass window, his wide eyes shone, holding back unshed tears. Perhaps slipping away from everyone and seeking solace in the darkness of the twin’s attic bedroom hadn’t been his finest idea, but letting Mabel, her friends and his Grunkles see him crack was not an option. Brown eyes swept across the blue cursive of the scroll again and again, hoping beyond hope that he’d been mistaken. That somehow that last line would just… disappear. But there it sat, almost as an afterthought at the bottom of the unsigned response from the institute. 

_His counterpart existed._

_Had read his letter._

_And was **waiting** for him._

Even as his heart sat like a stone in his stomach at the notion, the faun couldn’t bring himself to say it wasn’t fair. The odds were nearly the same for everyone after all; either you wrote your letter first, or your mate beat you to it. Only a very small percentage of people managed write their letters at the same time; slipping the system with both parties receiving letters that lacked that last sentence and reporting to separate schools. At least until The Administration caught up to them, which it had done without fail thus far. Still, it hadn’t seemed too much to ask of life to have been the older partner. To have his letter sent back… find some direction… gain much needed experience... be sent his counterpart’s letter in a few years…have more time to grow.

The idea of not meeting expectation, of not being good enough for someone _again_....

Looking out beyond the glow of the moonlit glass, a doe-eyed child stared back out of a round face. Tangles of waves and curls adorned his head, neatly hiding Dipper’s greatest source of pride and shame; a pair of small devilish points. He’d flown around the attic when he woke one morning after a hard week of headaches, a swell in his chest and a spring in his step as he flaunted his new addition. But that was weeks ago, practically the beginning of summer. Ford and Stan called both twins late bloomers, said it came and went every few generations, but surely it couldn’t be normal to be this late!

Unable to ignore the dry scratching of his throat, sore from choking back unshed tears, he slipped down from his perch. Worn floorboards creaked in a strange yet familiar melody as he shuffled through the door and down the hall. Laughter bubbled up from the stairs, and some small voice couldn’t help but feel mocked. Was he really the only one harboring concern over what was barely two weeks away? Pale fingers clenched reflexively around the small slip of paper as worry gave way to frustration. Talking to Mabel was in equal parts as reassuring as it was pointless. She wouldn’t hear of anything less than all her fantasies becoming real until reality came crashing down in a fortnight. Perhaps it was better that way; she’d figure things out on her own, and he didn’t have to say anything that would wipe that dazzling smile off her face -!!

Before he had time to react he was trapped; a pair of furred arms wrapped around his torso and faster than he could draw breath to scream he was being hauled into Grenda’s arms. Still as solid as ever, Dipper huffed as his soft middle came to rest over her cool shoulder. Bright-eyed and bushy tailed Mabel and Candy stood behind sporting cheeky grins as they brought up the rear with duffels, pizza boxes, cola and bags of junk food in their hands. Dipper froze against Grenda, a growing sense of shame curling in his belly at the idea of what was coming… “Mabel I’m in no mood for this makeover thing I’m too old for this.” He struggled for a moment to twist his right arm past Grenda’s head, wiping at his face to disguise any wayward tears.

Candy’s laugh hushed Mabel’s reply, soft, teasing, but not the girlish giggle she’d left with a year ago. “No makeovers tonight Dipper. We actually thought that you might want to sit in on our sleepover tonight. Mabel wants to know more about our first year, and as it turns out…”

“We’re all going to the same school!” Grenda’s rough voice interjected as the attic door creaked open. Mabel trot in after, laughing at a joke Dipper missed and Candy brought up the rear slinking almost silently through the door as his twin swung it shut. The switch at the door clicked and the dark, gloomy attic was alive with color, glitter and posters he hadn’t seen since Mabel’s last sleepover nearly a year before. The faces of one blonde boy band blurred together at the onset of a faint headrush, his feet slipping from under him as Grenda tried to put him down. “You feeling okay Dipper? You seem kinda…” She raised her arm, wrist twisting what Dipper was never sure he should refer to as a paw or a hand, in a universal ‘off’ gesture. “warm.” 

“I’m fine,” and not even sweaty for once, “was going to offer you a blanket or something actually. You sure you aren’t just cold or something?”

“Pssh he’s probably just nervous being in a room full of hotties!” Mabel snickered, opening their last bag of Summerween candy on the floor. “Seriously you two look amazing, when did this happen? You guys didn’t even send pics!” 

Candy smirked, a light shade of pink tinting her pale cheeks “Oh, you know, just sort of grew into it I guess.” Three sets of eyes watched her hand slide forward slowly over the top of a pizza box, claws scraping lightly along the cardboard in what looked to Dipper like a caress. “Really, we can’t look that much different, it's only been a year.” As if unveiling some secret those small fingers curled around the lid of the box and pulled, allowing a flavorful assortment of scents to fill the room. Doing his best not to look shifty or starved, Dipper reached for the soda bottle, eyes wandering to Grenda, whose gaze lingered on Candy as Mabel probed, “Oh come on, there has to be a story! New hair, new look, you two look like something from a TV show! Come on, let me in on the secret. You can't tell me you don’t know how amazing you look. Grenda, tell Candy she looks incredible.”

It was the first time Dipper bothered to really study the kumiho since they met, but the changes in her appearance were subtle yet evident. The shaggy black locks and fly-aways that once framed her face had been pulled back into a sleek high ponytail. Though her glasses remained unchanged, the soft gentle smile that lit her eyes a year ago had edged away from warm kindness and into more of an… edge. Her small shoulders hunched, she sat Indian-style, tail curling over her small paws. A lilac short-sleeved button-down was overlain by a violet vest, complemented by a short, white pleated skirt. The outfit a far cry from the green stripes of last year. She looked like just the sort of girl he’d always been too nervous to approach, and he could feel a spark of something make his hair stand on end as she _watched_ him, watching her. 

A rough voice broke in,“See something you like?”

“You had your chance Dip!”

“Mabel!” An undignified squeak left his lips as Grenda loomed over him despite being on her knees. Though the toothy grin on her face held all of her typical confidence, her eyes flashed with a challenge neither cute nor funny. When had she gotten so close? “I-I, uh…”

Dipper flinched as a claw poked his chest, tail twitching in alarm. “You can look all you want, just don’t touch!”

Mabel stamped a hoof, her fist in the air, “You tell him Grenda!”

“Message received.” Ears pinned and tail tucked he stared at the floor and resisted the urge to shuffle away from the girl’s aura, which had all the yielding quality of stone. 

A moment too long for the Faun’s liking passed, and though unsure if Grenda was truly satisfied with his response, relief washed over him as she at last settled down, reaching for the box. Unaware of just how much tension his body had been holding he breathed a sigh of relief as his muscles relaxed, though his eyes remained trained on a specific crack in the floor until Mabel spoke up again.

“Hey wait, what’s on your pizza?”

“Mushrooms...”

His twin quirked a brow, “But how--”

Candy peered at her impishly as she chewed, allowing the moment to drag as she gauged the brunette’s confusion. “Brought them from home. You partake?”

Mabel frowned, “Uh, we’ve never…”

“I want some.”

“Dipper! We’re too-”

“I’m thirteen. I want mushrooms.”

Needing no further convincing Candy reached with one hand into the green duffel that sat open behind her before tossing a small clear bag to Dipper. He paused for a moment, eyeing the contents; small white-freckled red strips. Mushrooms, of all kinds were expressly forbidden by both his parents and the Stans alike, and were in fact a controlled substance he’d be legally banned from for two years still. If they were anything else, he'd have had no interest in dabbling...

But ever since he’d learned of their magical properties, he’d been so curious.

Without further hesitation he opened the bag, taking just a few of the strips and at last taking a slice of pizza, carefully pressing them on. “Wait can I eat these raw, becau--?” A flash of teal sparked over his food, and Dipper was instantly transfixed, watching as the mushroom sizzled until it became edible.

Totally unfazed by Dipper’s awe over the small display, Candy smiled “Go for it.” and took another small bite of her own food.

A thousand questions ran through the faun’s mind as he took his first bites, the pizza, which had been plain cheese (because Stan was never one to pay extra for toppings) allowed him to get the full flavor of the mushroom itself; a smoky, tangy flavor that was easily one of the best things he’d tasted. What little research he’d been able to do told him that it would could take some minutes for any effects to occur, and he wanted to know what to expect. But just as he readied himself to pick Candy’s brain, Mabel steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Okay... new topic. So, tell me you’re counterparts are like, the hottest guys there right?! Marius is still the cutest thing ever right Grenda?”

Dipper’s tail flared, startled at the werebear’s roaring laughter as she held her sides on the floor. 

_“Marius?_ Has it been that long since we caught up? That feels like a lifetime ago now, we barely even talk anymore…”

“WHAT?! What happened? You two were so cute together…”

“Hey don’t get me wrong, it was fun while it lasted. I mean it's not like we split up on bad terms or anything, though we did break up over the phone.” Grenda tore into a second slice, brows knit as she seemed to work at remembering what shouldn’t have slipped her memory, considering that Marius was to Dipper’s knowledge her first boyfriend. “We were still talking for a while after I left for the institute, but it's not like it was going to last; long distance is a lot, and he was too clingy! I guess it came down to us… being meant for different things. Different people.”

“Now hold up, you said when you left that your counterpart hadn’t been found.”

Dipper watched the werebear cast a sidelong glance to her right, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “That’s right, I was two months in before she showed up.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right you left early that summer… wait what’d you mean _SHE?!”_

Grenda rolled her eyes, “C’mon Mabel…”

“Y-you are… are you for real? Like, for REAL? But you’re boy CRAZY! Your counterpart is a girl?”

“My counterpart is _Candy._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bunni's back, back again! This is way later than I intended but it couldn't be helped. Them BILLS got me on that 8 to 5 and I had to readjust my life. BUT the good news is that I'll have a normal, weekend posting schedule now! So that's something for you my dear readers to look forward to. 
> 
> In other news, chapter 4 will be the last chapter of what I'm now referring to as this fic's extended prologue, I can confirm. I've pretty much set up my dominoes now and I'm ready to start diving into stuff (and introduce some additional characters) so get ready!
> 
> For those of you who missed it...
> 
> \- Foreshadowing, lots and lots of da foreshadowing.  
> \- Dipper's crashing the girly sleepover. I'm not sure why but I feel like I'm the first person to do this. Is it weird that I did this?  
> \- 'Shrooms are magic. Magic is 'shrooms. This story features a lot of its own herblore, something to look forward to.  
> \- Candy and Grenda aren't side characters I cast off at a moments notice, oh no, they part of da plot! Truthfully I'm not inclined to list them as an official pairing for this fic (does that tag even exist, do people ship this? IDK) but you can enjoy them here. I didn't know I liked them so much together until I wrote this so... I guess I made myself ship them?
> 
> P.S. If anyone feels out of character... like Dipper being over emotional for instance, just know that I'm paying attention to how things sound. There's a reason why I'm doing what I'm doing, and if you're willing to bear with it all shall be revealed in time. I loves these characters dearly, but I have to make them my own to some extent, just know that I'm doing my utmost to stay faithful to the source material I have, and am creating my own material where there is none <3
> 
> P.P.S: It may be a bit early to get your opinions, but would anyone be curious to see a reference guide for the world, behaviors and lore of this fic? Let me know, I actually do have notes and things I use for this story to help me write, I wonder if it my help you all read...


	4. Our Expectations

There was a sudden burst of blood in her mouth, and Mabel gave several sudden coughs as she swallowed which broke the awkward tension in the room.

It wasn’t she wasn’t happy for her friends; many people weren’t so lucky as to be matched within a few months of writing their letters, and in generations past the vast majority died without ever meeting their other half. But her mind continued to rebel against the new information, the sudden change in the girls the pegasus thought she knew. A pair of giggling, goofy, blushing boy-crazy preteens waiting to meet the guys of their dreams, snapshot in her mind like photos in a scrapbook. Where had they gone? Why had they changed?

Having been lost in the eyes of her friend as she searched for any indication that this was all an elaborate hoax, it hadn’t occurred to the brunette that she’d been nibbling the inside of her cheek. Slightly disgusted the pegasus’ nose crinkled as the copper ran down her throat, relieved that the staring contest was over.

A gentle hand stroked soothing circles between her open wings as the hacking fight subsided, Candy settling in beside her. “We really weren’t sure how to… explain it Mabel. It wasn’t something we were hiding exactly, just… it's hard to go into detail with someone who’s…” The kumiho trailed off as she collected her thoughts, tail lashing nervously.

“Still in a bubble!” Grenda interjected with a huff, gesturing at the room as she threw up her hands. “We’re not supposed to explain the, uh, dynamics I guess, to someone who hasn’t written their letter yet.”

“We just didn’t want to share anything this… personal with you before you were ready to hear about it. Honestly it took us a while to... embrace it ourselves. It's barely been a year.”

Mabel sniffed, “Dynamics?”

“She’s talking about hierarchical awareness,” Dipper amended, and Mabel couldn't hide her frown, sure he was a nerd but they were the same age! Since when was he so worldly? “Grunkle Stan tried to explain it more or less earlier in the summer. Said when he was our age no one bothered to give him ‘the talk’ and he had to figure everything out the hard way--”

“Whatever that’s supposed to mean… am I right?”

Grenda crossed her arms, “Hmph, I can guess…”

“Okay, so wait, how did social status make you two to end up being, y’know, together?”

“Here, hang on, I’ve got something that may help explain…” Candy gave a sharp tug on the strap of her green duffel before slowly opening the zipper, the simple gestures again accentuated by the strange pace at which she performed them. Mabel watched, a confused look in her brown eyes; when she’d done it with the pizza box, it had seemed to her that the fox was just flirting with Dipper. Considering what had happened last summer, she’d thought the gesture cute and somewhat teasing, but knowing that Grenda and Candy were an item made her wonder why she’d put on such a show. It wasn’t as if the fox needed the attention…

“Ah, here it is. I was almost worried.” Candy smiled as she produced a small, black card, shoving her bag away again without a second thought. Bodies shuffled, Dipper and Grenda settling in as Mabel takes the small piece of plastic in her hands. Glancing over the golden script, it took a moment to realize that it was Candy’s student ID.

Fourteen years old… Division: Normality, fifty percent… Type: Kumiho… Class: Beta… Affinity: Fire… House of Illumination.

Most of the facts seemed meaningless.

Mabel snorted, “I’m kinda surprised they don’t just give everyone a number, this doesn't tell anyone about you! Do you seriously have to give this to people? It seems so...”

“Impersonal? I kind of thought that too at first, but really it just makes things easier, and you'll learn pretty quickly that it tells everyone you'll cross on a general basis all they need to know. On my first day all of the new students swapped ID’s back and forth as we got acquainted with each other. It saves a lot of trouble if you aren’t sure about someone to just ask for their ID, and almost no one thinks twice about it honestly.”

"But what about new friends?" Or guys. "An ID isn't exactly an icebreaker."

Candy shook her head, "Its really what you make of it Mabel. Trust me, you'll have plenty of chances to make friends once you get there. Its best to just approach everything with an open mind, there are literally millions of possibilities for you outside of what you know from being here."

“Assuming things is what gets you into trouble, especially when you’re still learning to pick up on social cues.” The werebear huffed, and Mabel glanced up curiously at the beginnings of irritation lacing her friend’s tone.

“What exactly does it mean, you being a beta?”

“Betas are pretty much… the majority of the population. As normalities, betas are closest to the First Creations since we have no divinity genes. Almost all of us are generalists in magic since we don’t have the energy or efficiency to specialize in anything. We’re the most common class. Our primary purpose is to protect omegas, and serve the alphas…”

“How’d you end up finding out you were a beta?” Dipper chimed in, running a thumb over the raised lettering of the card as he took it from his twin.

“This card, it’s the same for most everyone. Institutes get those details from a blood sample that’s taken from everyone’s letter. Interestingly enough, since your class is predetermined by your genes, parents could find out what class you are from birth. Of course, that information is classified by the Administration.” Candy shifted “Mr. Pines work for an institute once, you’ve never asked him about any of this?”

“Great Uncle Ford’s never really liked to talk much about being a professor or a researcher. I tried to talk to him about it a few times but he’s not exactly forthcoming. I thought that maybe if I didn’t pry he’d open up but… it’s the end of the summer now…”

“Don’t get hung up about it. You’ll be able to tell yourself soon enough when you’re affinity kicks in. Vast majority of the time it’ll come in on its own, though some have to get their counterparts to help them. Everything hits you pretty quickly after that; senses, hormones, instincts, it's a lot. The hardest part of it being that you really can’t hide any of the symptoms, it's more or less on display for everyone.”

“The changes are worst for alphas and omegas. I’m so glad hardly anyone I knew was there when I showed up; I was a beast. It doesn’t help either that the first people to bug you are members of your own class since they’re the first to tell what you are.”

Mabel’s brow quirked, “It's that obvious, how can you tell?”

“Most alpha females are cool.”

“Huh?”

“She means literally. Most alpha females feel naturally cool to the touch. Sometimes height can be a factor too; a lot of them tend to be tall...”

That fact alone clicked so many things in place, and Mabel’s eyes lit up in recognition as she thought of her mother’s embrace. The satyress was leggy, lithe, the embodiment of her wind affinity. Her icy touch was something that stood out to the brunette even as a little girl, and she’d always wondered… even on the warmest days…

_I’m waiting young lady. What do you have to say for yourself?_

_The linen closet’s door slammed shut, the sound pinning Mabel’s ears. What would have been a heavy silence was punctuated by the agitated tapping of her mother’s cloven hoof as she waited for an explanation. Hands on her hips, the saytress loomed like a waiting storm, and Mabel couldn’t help but squirm under that gaze. The child shifted her weight from one hoof to the other, toeing a stray clipping of her grandmother’s rainbow colored quilt. Lip between her teeth, she stared at nothing, mind unable to come up with any excuse that wouldn’t be a lie._

_Suddenly her father appeared on the stairs._

_“Madeline? I think this is for you.”_

_“Phillip really--”_

_“I think you should open it.”_

_A look passed between the pair, and Mabel squeaked softly in fear, looking through tear-filled eyes to find her father holding a crudely-wrapped birthday gift._

_With a soft crinkling sound the wrapping paper fell to the floor, and in her mother’s hands was the crudest, craziest mish-mash of fabrics stitched together as --_

_“A sweater?” Madeline asked, bemused._

_Mabel’s gaze fell, “I know you said you weren’t cold before when I asked but... I just… I thought…”_

_A pale, lukewarm hand touched her chin, and the pegasus raised her eyes. The first of her tears fell as her gaze locked with her mother’s, a bright smile on the woman’s face._

_“We’ll get you some yarn.”_

“Can you sense what Mabel and I are?”

Mabel blinked, snapping out of her own thoughts to discover the conversation has progressed without her, Dipper peppering her friends with more and more questions it seemed. Mabel frowned; since when had he been so comfortable with sleepovers?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I lied. I lied. I said this was going to be the last prologue chapter. But its not. The torches and pitchforks shop is on your next left.
> 
> Not going to mess with you guys any further, but I did a really stupid thing; I got over excited, and wrote chapter 5 midway through writing chapter 4, hence why there was no update last week. I also underestimated my wrap-up length for this chapter, so I've actually gone ahead and posted this first half and will continue working on the second piece, which I swear will be the last chapter of this extended prologue. I'm sure 5 chapters in for a prologue is officially going to look like I'm stalling or something but just trust me, there's a reason for all this that's coming in like a dark horse. I'd also like to note that chapter 4 will be the last "short" chapter like these have been, the primary story chapters will be much, MUCH LONGER.
> 
> The good news is that chapter 5 is done. So DOUBLE CHAPTER WEEKEND INCOMING. Also if that's not enough to get you excited, chapter 5 will be from a new POV, that's all I'm going to say.
> 
> Now with that out of the way, I hope that you all enjoyed this one! I'm not going to post a what-you-missed for this, I'll save it for the next chapter. For those I'm managing to keep engaged with my nonsense, there is a lot going on in this chapter to pay attention to. See you all then! 
> 
> P.S. I worked out how I'm going to handle tags, they will be reveal tags based on chapter content, so keep an eye out for any new ones<3


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